Patti Stanger was “blown away” by the success of The Golden Bachelor — but had some questions about the status of Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist’s relationship before they announced their divorce.
“The only thing I don’t understand is why are they not living together,” Stanger, 62, inquired during an exclusive interview with Us Weekly days before Gerry, 72, and Theresa’s split was announced. The celebrity matchmaker questioned what the former couple had to “work it out” — in terms of their living situation — after they were married.
Apparently, they did not “work it out” as Gerry and Theresa, 70, announced their divorce during a Good Morning America interview on Friday, April 12. (Gerry proposed to Theresa during The Golden Bachelor finale in November 2023, and they tied the knot during a televised wedding on January 4.)
Stanger speculated that Gerry ultimately chose Theresa because there was “a financials thing going on” overall. While the pair noted in their GMA interview that they signed a prenup, it’s unknown if they combined any of their finances. Life & Style previously reported that Gerry, who used to own burger franchises, was worth more money than Theresa, but she still has an income as a senior compliance officer at a financial advisory office.
Stanger also speculated that maybe there was some “regretting” on Turner’s end overall as viewers saw his connection with runner-up Leslie Fhima.
“I don’t want to make a mistake and call The Bachelor out on that. It’s not The Bachelor‘s fault,” she added. “The Bachelor is just an introduction company. Think of it like that. What you do with what they give you is your business. We used to say in Bravo, ‘If you say it, they own it.’”
While she’s no longer working with Bravo, Stanger does have a new show on The CW called The Matchmaker, which premiered on Thursday, April 11.
“It’s a very different departure from Millionaire Matchmaker. There are elements of Millionaire Matchmaker, and I’m so grateful to Bravo for that and you can stream it right now on Netflix,” she told Us, referring to her Bravo show, which aired from 2008 to 2015. “But this was more of every person calling me post-pandemic and going, ‘What the F is going on? Why am I still single?’ We were learning about ancestral trauma, we were learning about attachment styles, we were learning about narcissism.”
She went on to thank the network for giving her “free reign” on the show, teasing that it will teach viewers to “break all your patterns in love.” Stanger is set to cohost the show with The Bachelor alum Nick Viall, as well.
“It’s really exciting. It’s breaking new ground on television,” she added, noting that other dating shows “weren’t shows teaching us” like this one will. “It’s like a social experiment. What about those people at home who are not getting out of the house and meeting anyone?”
